Things I love about NZ

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make me happy. Like a good pair of scissors. A phone call from a friend. Snuggling under the covers and going back to sleep as I listen to the sound of rain on my tin roof. Beyond the beautiful scenery, the clean green image, and the feeling that I’m living in Middle Earth itself, there are lots of little things that are endearing NZ to me. First are the things that make NZ feel like a compassionate place, a civilized place. Take the grocery store parking lot, where there are designated parking spots near the front door for families with kids, or perhaps, based on the graphic, it’s for those expecting kids. I’m not sure. Either way, I don’t park there.

Another way I find NZ fosters compassion is the right hand rule in driving – basically this requires you to let others turn across your lane of traffic if you’re also turning. Imagine you are driving to the grocery store. Or simply approaching an intersection where you plan to turn right (for those who drive on the right – here we drive on the left, so it’s the opposite). As you approach what will be an easy right turn, you see others trying to turn left across your lane. Well, here, under those circumstances, you would be required to let them cross in front of you, before you turn, even if you are in a designated right turn lane. How civilized. Imagine the reduction in road rage, with people making it easier, rather than harder for others to get where they’re trying to go?

Then there are some fun kiwi-speak terms that I find endearing. One that caught my attention early on was how they verbalize internet addresses. Just go to “Dub dub dub dot” whatever. I’m also quite amused by the way they refer to groups of people when ‘flicking’ them an e-mail. I’ve heard groups of guys referred to fellas and lads. One person I get group e-mails from addresses us rather bluntly as “People”. But my personal favorite was one from a friend in the office who wrote to us all as “chaps and chappesses.” She’s from England, if that helps explain it in any way? I suppose my referring to groups of people as ‘ya’ll’ or ‘folks’ or ‘gang’ is just as endearing (or strange) to them.

Another endearing habit I’ve noticed is the inappropriate reading material I’ve seen in several small restaurants and cafes. By inappropriate I mean – wrong publication for the wrong audience. In several places I’ve eaten – including my favorite Indian place here in town where I’m now a regular – they have a stack of trade journals out for folks to read. Admittedly, if I go somewhere for takeaway I might appreciate some reading material while they prepare my meal. Perhaps an issue of Forest and Bird, or NZ Geographic, the local paper or even North and South. But reading up on the latest trends in cash registers in Hospitality? No thanks. Do I really want to learn how to open my own franchise, or get a product comparison of commercial espresso machines, or learn the actual price of tea in China by reading Tea and Coffee while waiting for my moccacino? Not really. I’m not sure why they think I would, but I find it quite a kick that they do…

Then there’s the habit so many people have of walking around bare foot. Mind you – it’s just coming out of winter here, not the lazy days of summer. Yet I’ve seen moms with kids in tow, teenagers, and regular ol’ adults strolling in and out of shops, grocery stores, everywhere – all bare foot. I’m not sure why it’s such a big deal in the US, but it’s just not allowed there in so many places. A friend here at work told me he was told to leave a grocery store in the US because he was barefooted. I always assumed it was a health code thing – though why I’m not sure. Would you eat off the floor in a grocery store? Isn’t most everything packaged (or over-packaged) so there’s no worry about germs? The risk of stepping on broken glass was the reason my friend was given. I think the solution there is to SWEEP IT UP. Oh well. That worry seems not to have made its way here, so people stroll around as they see fit. In fact my friend told me most of the kids in his elementary school ran around barefoot. Bravo, I say.

All of these things amuse me. But the thing that I find most endearing about New Zealand is its ability to not take itself too seriously. I get this sense both from talking with people, and from the media. The epitome of this is seen in a national campaign on by the local Automobile Association to come up with the 101 best things about NZ. They’re planning a TV show and a publicity campaign based on the results. Right now they’re having a think about it, as they say here, by asking the public to share what they love about NZ. They’ve got a wonderful commercial on that you have to go watch. (Click here, then click on the AA logo at the bottom of the page, where it says “AA 101”.) It illustrates perfectly their ability to adore their country and laugh at it, at the same time. There’s the beautiful scenery, mixed in with the local folk and strange sites. They go on and on about New Zealand, with tongue firmly in cheek. “As beautiful as a toilet and as green as the kids after a coastal road… We live in the best country in the world – well, for miles anyway.” At the end, the announcer, all choked up, says “I love you New Zealand.” I’m starting to agree.

Just one more reason to love NZ...